The present invention relates to a blister pack without additional outer packaging for pharmaceuticals, having a base with a plurality of recesses that are surrounded by a shoulder and a lid foil attached to the shoulder, where removable contents are accommodated in the recesses and can be removed therefrom by pressing the recess in question and penetrating the lid foil or by removing the lid foil over the recess, and having an accompanying leaflet.
It is known to fill the bases of blister packs, in particular push-through packs, with contents, to cover the whole of base with a lid material, and to seal the lid material in place. The blister pack is characterized by way of a single or, in particular, by a plurality of single compartments that accommodate e.g. solid items, shaped solid preparations or pharmaceutical products such as tablets or dragees. If a single item e.g. a tablet is to be removed from a blister pack, the recess in the base is pressed and the tablet pushed through the lid material
The present invention embraces various kinds of blister packs. This includes e.g. the so-called push-through packs. Push-through packs are e.g. such that the lid material is of aluminum foil or an aluminum foil laminate. Aluminum foil is a preferred material for the lids on blister packs as the thickness of the material employed requires relatively little force for it to rupture. Consequently, the energy for penetration is low and the aluminum exhibits essentially no elasticity. As a rule the base of the blister pack is made of plastic, for example plastics such as PVC, polyamides, polyolefins, polyesters and laminates or multi-layered materials containing at least one of these materials and, if desired, also containing an aluminum foil. Other blister packs feature a base which is covered by a lid foil. The lid foil may cover the whole of the base area and is usefully provided with a line of weakness in the region of each recess, or each recess may be covered with an individual lid segment. Within the line of weakness or on each lid segment may be a tab for gripping which enables the individual recess to be exposed by peeling back the lid segment. As a rule, the base and the lid are of the above mentioned materials, whereby plastic laminates may also be employed for the lid materials.
Such blister packs have found widespread use in the field of health care and for distribution of sweets such as pastilles and bonbons. Because of the possibility they offer to store sensitive contents carefully, and because of the ease with which the contents can be removed from them, such blister packs are now regarded as indispensable in daily life. With increasing endeavors being made to cut costs in health care, attempts are being made to keep the blister packs as small as possible. Further, the amount of packaging material and the product mix in packaging should be kept as small as possible, and the same or similar recyclable materials should be used for packaging purposes. Up to now blister packs have always been contained in outer packaging such as a plastic or cardboard box. The box also contains the accompanying leaflet providing information about the product. The leaflet is thus contained in the packaging, protected from loss. Last, but not least, because of the accompanying leaflet, it is compulsory to provide additional, expensive packaging i.e. the container in the form of a box.